Miguel de Lara also improved upon his five-year-old national record in the 50 breasts, finishing with a time of 27.55
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Miguel de Lara, who is 28 years old, won the 200-meter breaststroke at Mexico’s National Selection meet on Sunday, qualifying for his first Olympic Games with a time of 2:09.60. De Lara decreased his previous time from 2019 by nearly two seconds, cutting it just under the Paris 2024 ‘A’ cut time of 2:09.68. He also swam the eighth-fastest time in the world this season while breaking his Mexican national record, which he set during his bronze medal performance at the 2019 Pan American Games.
“Being qualified gives me peace of mind. Being able to prepare and look for the medal in Paris, which is the important thing, to be able to do a complete preparation as we want to do it in Paris, is what will allow me to do that,” said De Lara. “I believe the time is right; I’m older than the average Mexican swimmer. Since we were so close, it finally did, and two Olympic cycles have since passed.”
Miguel de Lara also improved upon his five-year-old national record in the 50 breasts, finishing with a time of 27.55, and broke it in the 100 breasts, finishing with a time of 1:00.14. In the 100 and 200 breaststroke events from the most recent Olympic cycle, de Lara came within a fraction of a second of the Tokyo 2021 ‘A’ cuts. His achievement at the age of 28 is all the more remarkable considering the Mexican Swimming Federation’s (FMN) lack of assistance during the process.
While former president Kiril Todorov is being investigated for alleged corruption and embezzlement, FMN is currently being run by a stabilization committee chosen by World Aquatics. Amid the dispute, the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (CONADE) supported Todorov, and after the stabilization committee’s takeover, it revoked all aquatic scholarships.
It is a fact, not an opinion, according to de Lara, that CONADE will not aid aquatic disciplines. “José Mara Alcalá, COM, and FINA have all given us their steadfast support, and we will do good during the World and Central American Games. The support is nonexistent in CONADE. De Lara, along with runners Citlali Moscote and Alegna Gonzalez, is the only Mexican athlete in any sport to have secured a spot at Paris 2024. De Lara is the only Mexican swimmer to have achieved an Olympic “A” cut till now.
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To prove that on our own and with the help of their families and coaches, we can do a fantastic job, de Lara said, “There is a lot of uncertainty on the part of the organization, of all the swimming events in Mexico.” We do not require them to direct us. We are aware of what we must accomplish to demonstrate Mexico’s wealth of talent. I believe that a few more swimmers will break the record in Mexico very soon, inspiring all of my teammates to beat it for the Olympic Games.”
De Lara attributed his lifetime highs to his perseverance and reliability in the gym. When he was 21 years old, the Torreon native relocated to Auburn, where he ran into current coach Sergio Lopez. De Lara and Lopez reunited at Virginia Tech in January after Lopez went back to his native Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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